The Choices They Face
by Michy's Minions
Summary: Set during TRACKS, what would have happened if Fitz would have accompanied Skye when she went after Quinn? The team is faced with an impossible choice. Will everyone survive? Rated T for violence. Fitzsimmons & Skyeward. Full Team involvement.
1. Chapter 1

**So here is another Tumblr prompt that I received...**

**(Disclaimer: I'm not cool enough to actually own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD or any of it's awesome characters)**

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"You want to go in."

"We can't let Quinn get away again. If Coulson were here he wouldn't let that happen. He wouldn't want us to let that happen." Skye's voice was determined as she spoke, her eyes following Quinn as he walked in the large Itallian Villa.

"You're right; let's do it." Skye looked over at Fitz, almost like she was surprised that he agreed with her. Slowly a smile began to form on her face, but it quickly faded as he continued, "I'm going with you."

"No," she said immediately, but it was no good, he was just as stubborn as she was. He already had felt the fear of losing Jemma, seeing her body lying frozen on the ground, he wasn't going to let Skye go into that house alone.

"I'm coming with you," he said, his voice firm and unwavering. "You don't have to do everything alone."

This time Skye really did smile, a full, appreciative smile, thankful that she finally had a family that cared for her. But Fitz didn't see the smile, his hands were already moving to his bag as he extracted the night-night gun, ready to storm the castle. The fact that this was a bad idea, that they should wait for the rest of the team to follow the tracker and find them didn't seem to register in either of their minds. They were more interested in bringing Quinn to justice.

"Let's go," Skye said simply, moving out from behind their cover of trees.

Silently they slipped into the house, the only noise being the sound of the dendrotoxin bullets leaving the night-night gun as they took out the men in their path. It was only later, as he heard the sound of the gun firing and and saw the blood begin to stain Skye's shirt that Fitz realized they should have never gone in alone.

"You bast..." Fitz exclaimed as he lunged at Quinn, but he was cut off as another shot rang through the air. This time the shot was directed at him, piercing Fitz right through the abdomen.

Quinn ignored Fitz as he slowly crumpled to the floor, his sights still set on Skye. Gently, intimately, he wrapped her in his arms, feeling her body shaking with pain. With one final shot, Quinn carefully brought Skye to the ground and walked out of the room, leaving them alone and helpless.

"Help," her voice was quiet, strangled, as Skye began choking on her own blood. She looked over to the door, it was mere feet away, she just had to get there. She pulled herself towards the door, desperately reaching out for it. But it was no use. With one last gasp, her body slumped against the wall.

Minutes later, Coulson came through the door, his eyes immediately locked on Skye's broken and bloody body. It was only after he called for Simmons, cradling Skye in his arms, that he noticed Fitz in the corner, lying in a pool of blood. Coulson's face was white as he looked between his two team members. A stabbing pain of guilt flooded him. He was their leader, the one that was supposed to keep them safe. He always pushed them so hard, demanded so much out of them, and every time they had delivered. And now he had put them in harms way. He had let them down.

Simmons ran in, but unlike Coulson her eyes were fixated on Fitz, the color slowly draining from her face. She ran to her best friend's side, tears already beginning to make their way down her cheeks. She desperately felt for a pulse, feeling only a slight flutter in return.

"How is he?" Coulson's voice cut the air, shaking slightly.

"He has a weak pulse," Fitz's blood had already stained her hands as she moved to Skye. "Skye?"

"Nothing, I can't find a pulse."

Jemma looked around the room, seeing every eye on her. She wanted to scream, to cry, but they were all counting on her. Skye and Fitz were counting on her.

"There." Everyone turned to see what Jemma was looking at.

"Was is that?" Ward's voice was hard, almost angry - angry for not being there to protect them, angry that they thought that they could go in alone, angry that Coulson had put them in the field in the first place.

"It's a hyperbaric chamber." Jemma's voice was frantic as she spoke. "They've lost too much blood, we need to lower their core body tempatures until we can do more."

"There is only one." May, the constant voice of reason - with the words that cut to the bone.

Slowly everyone looked between Skye and Fitz.

They had to choose.

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**Sorry for the cliffhanger, yet again, but I literally couldn't decide. Who would you choose?**


	2. Chapter 2

**The power of reviews!**

**I actually had thought I would just leave the last chapter where it was and keep it at a one-shot, but I couldn't let it go. **

**So now I make the impossible choice... **

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For Jemma Simmons the choice was clear. Fitz. It was always Fitz and it always would be.

But the same couldn't be said for the rest of the team. Everyone was looking around, their eyes shifting between Skye and Fitz. How could they choose, how did they make a choice between their teammates?

No one wanted to speak; no one wanted to be responsible for making the choice.

Every eye turned to look at Jemma for her medical opinion. She wanted to scream at them. She wasn't a medical doctor - she never had been - yet she was constantly being put in positions where someone else's life was directly in her hands.

_And now it was Fitz._

"Fitz." She said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

All three looked back at her as she made the choice that they wouldn't make, but the looks on their faces showed that they disagreed.

"Fitz?" Coulson asked back, not wanting to admit out loud that he would pick Skye over Fitz if given the choice. There was something different about Skye, something special. He wasn't ready to give up on her.

"He has a stronger pulse and a better chance of making a recovery if we can get them out of here."

"And we just let Skye die?" The accusation that came out of Ward's mouth was thinly veiled as he stared at Jemma. Everyone could feel the anger that was radiating off of him, his jaw locked firmly.

"I... I..." Jemma stammered in reply, her eyes darting to the floor. She ran to Skye's side, feeling for a pulse and checking her injuries. Her injuries were substantial and she had lost too much blood. If they lowered her body temperature quickly they could buy her more time for them to get her to a medical facility, but there was no guarantee, nothing else that Jemma would be able to do to insure her survival.

And Fitz would be on his own.

"Put her in." Jemma said, her voice weak as she gave in. "She is almost out of time. That might buy her some more."

"Fitz?"

"He has a pulse," She turned to look at May, Jemma's face so pale she might as well be on the floor herself. "I'll do what I can."

The team worked together to pick Skye up, placing her gingerly in the hyperbaric chamber. The others moved out of the way as Jemma ran to the controls, the mixture of Skye and Fitz's blood on her hands now covering the panel. She worked quickly, pulling the temperature down and getting the pressure to stabilize.

Coulson stood by the chamber, his hand pressing on the glass, his eyes locked on Skye's pale face. May stood next to him, more emotion on her face than Coulson had seen in awhile. Only Ward stood back for the group, his anger at the situation still marring his face. He was their protector and he had failed.

It didn't take long for the chamber to regulate. A sigh of relief passed through the group as a small breath escaped Skye's mouth, but Jemma didn't have the luxury of relaxing. She darted from the chamber back to Fitz's side. He still had a pulse, but his face was deathly white and his hands were clammy. Jemma knew they needed to act fast.

"We need to get them to the Bus immediately." The other's turned to look at Jemma, surprised at how strong and forceful her voice suddenly was. "We need to get them both to a SHIELD Medical Facility immediately."

If there was one thing that Coulson's team could be counted on it was for stepping up and getting to work. Within minutes they were able to find a way to stabilize Fitz for transport, as well as take Skye in the chamber back to the Bus.

The moment they were in the Bus, Jemma wasted no time. She cut away the bloody strips of Fitz's shirt, exposing the wound. She didn't have the expertise, nor did the Bus have the facility, to be able to operate. His only chance was to get to a Trauma Surgeon and to get there fast. Jemma found some hemostatic gauze and packed the wound, trying to stop any more bleeding. She wrapped the wound in plastic wrap before covering him in a think blanket to keep him from going into shock.

Her hands worked fast, shaking occasionally, her now gloved fingers still tainted with a mix of her teammate's blood. She could feel the familiar rumble of the engines under her feet, letting her know that the Bus was in the air and on its way. She just had to hope that it would be enough.

May was in the cockpit, the Bus back in the air, flying to the nearest facility she could get to. It was only in the cockpit, where she was alone, that she could allow herself to feel the emotions that were deep within her. It was only there that she did not have to keep up the act.

Coulson stood by the chamber's side, his eyes flitting between Skye, pale and close to death, and Jemma, doing everything she could to save her partner. Coulson's eyes were filled with anguish. It was not supposed to be a combat op. They were not supposed to be in danger. Had he really pushed them to the point that they would go into a building, alone and untrained, and try to do his job?

Ward paced out side of the holding cell where Quinn was. He wanted to go in; he wanted to turn Quinn into a human punching bag. He wanted Quinn to feel the same pain the Skye had. That Fitz had. That Ward himself was feeling now. The muscles in his arm flexed as he gripped the bar in front of him before turning around and kicking the door.

It was only when the Bus began its decent down to the SHIELD Medical Facility that they received the first bit of good news – they were finally able to get their teammates some help. The medics worked fast, coming aboard and taking Skye and Fitz into the facility. The team stood back, letting the doctors take over, knowing that Skye and Fitz were in the some of the best hands in the world.

It was only then, with Skye and Fitz receiving actual medical assistance from _real_ Medical Doctors, that Jemma was able to let herself break down. She retreated through the door to the bathroom, wanting more than anything to remove her friend's blood from her hands. She didn't have Fitz by her side to comfort her like he always did. She had to go on alone.

The water running red into the sink, Jemma closed her eyes and began to cry, letting out hours of pent up emotions. It was only when something brushed her hand that she even realized that someone had followed her into the bathroom.

May was completely silent as she took a towel and began wiping the blood off of Jemma's hands. She had been where Jemma was standing – more times than she wanted to remember. She had the blood of friends and enemies alike on her hands. She knew that washing it off only visibly removed it; she would carry it around forever. Jemma was too young, too innocent, to have to live with the blood of her friends on her hands.

The team gathered together, six down to four, all sitting quietly in the waiting room. No one looked at each other – no one wanted to see the pain in one another's eyes – but they all were thankful for the presence of their teammates and friends as they waited for news.

News on how they could put their family back together.

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	3. Chapter 3

**And the choices continue...**

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Every eye turned to the door as the doctor walked into the room.

"Skye?"

"Not good." The doctor had a sympathetic look on her face as her eyes traveled through the group. "The shots perforated her stomach and penetrated the large and small intestines. We resected what we could, but there has been too much damage."

"So what's next?"

"We can keep her comfortable, but you are going to have to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support."

"You're saying there's nothing to be done?" There was an edge in Coulson's voice as he spoke. He was not ready to give up on her, nor was anyone else.

"I'm saying you need to call her family; get them here as soon as possible."

"We're her family." Coulson had created this team; he had turned them into a family. It hadn't been easy, but it had been effective. They would do anything for one another. He wouldn't let anything happen to his family.

"Then in that case, I'm very sorry."

"Fitz? What about Fitz?" Jemma spoke up, her voice hoarse and broken, a small sob getting lost in the back of her throat.

"He made it through surgery. He lost a lot of blood. There was not as much damage, but it is a waiting game. He is at a serious risk for infection. We will have to see how he does through the night."

All Jemma could do was nod, desperately keeping the tears in her eyes from falling down her cheeks. _Skye – _they had become friends, best friends even. Even in the short time that they had known each other they had been through so much, grown so close. And Fitz. _Fitz._ Jemma didn't know how to explain Fitz. She couldn't even put her feelings for him into words.

"Thank you, doctor," Coulson said, his words polite and professional but his tone flat.

* * *

_There are doctor's that brought me back from the dead. If they can do that, I'm betting they can fix our team._

They had the drug. The drug that had been instrumental in saving Coulson, it was in their hands. Ward had run it up from the Guest House, his hands almost shaking as he handed the vial to Jemma, his eyes glued to Skye's broken body.

But now they had to choose – they had to choose again.

They had a miracle drug at their fingertips, but there was only one vial, only enough for one person.

Fitz was still unconscious, yet to wake up since surgery, infection taking a hold of his body. Skye was minutes from death. There was still no guarantee for either of them. They both needed a miracle. But as they started to lose Skye, the answer was clear. This was her last chance – her _only_ chance.

Jemma pushed the needle into her arm, pressing the plunger down until the entire contents had been released into Skye's system. Coulson ran into the room, trying to stop them from using the drug, but it was too late. Everyone waited on bated breath for Skye to show some sign that the drug was taking effect.

It all happened suddenly. Skye began convulsing, the machines around her going crazy as they monitored her rapidly changing vitals. Voices were shouting, trying to figure out what to do. Then as quickly as it started, it stopped. Her vitals returned to normal as Skye went still.

"Her heartbeat. She's stabilizing."

"Simmons?" Everyone looked to Jemma, but all she could offer back in return was a small smile and an almost imperceptible head nod. She couldn't explain what she just saw any more than they could.

"Can someone tell me what we just saw?" Ward had seen many unexplainable things in his time with SHIELD, but even now, as he stared at Skye, he was having a hard time believing Agent Coulson's story.

"Girl's a fighter, what was the stuff you just gave her?"

"I don't know." Jemma's eyes slid to Coulson before looking back at Triplett. "All I know is that it worked."

"You're a real miracle worker." Jemma couldn't even smile in response to Agent Triplett's comment. She didn't catch the undertones in his voice or the way he looked at her; her mind was on Fitz. The _drug_ was the miracle, not her, and their miracle had run out. Fitz was still lying, unconscious, fighting for his life. _Where was his miracle? _

"You did it." Coulson barely glanced at May as she spoke, his face still marred in barely masked horror. He moved his eyes back to Skye, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. _He did it_. He had subjected Skye to the same unknown that he had been put through. Even as he looked at Skye he could see flashes of the alien in his mind. The drug had saved her – _but at what cost?_

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_At what cost?_ Jemma was thinking the same thing, but for different reasons, as she sat by Fitz's bedside. She could hear the soft beeping of the machines as they monitored his vitals. She almost felt sick for wishing that it had been Fitz who was beginning to show improvement, Fitz who had received the drug that could save his life. How could she put one friend's life over another? She should be happy that Skye was healing.

_But this was Fitz._

Jemma had spent hours pouring over every ounce of information she could find on the drug, taking samples of Skye's blood every hour to try to find some trace of whatever was in the drug, some way to synthesize it so that she could give it to Fitz. But there was nothing to be found. Nothing in Skye's blood gave Jemma any more answers than the notes the Coulson had given her.

Never once had Jemma felt dumb. Never once had Jemma felt like she had failed. But that had changed.

Ward opened the door, immediately causing Jemma to turn and look at him. Ward knew what she was going through, probably more than he wanted to admit. He cared for Skye, more than he should, just like he felt that Jemma cared for Fitz. "How is he?"

"I think we have stopped the infection from spreading. Hopefully the antibiotics will take care of what's left."

Ward came over to Jemma's side, his eyes on Fitz. He didn't tell her that it would all be okay, that it would work out in the end. Instead he just put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, breaking his usual reserve to show his support. "I can sit with him for a bit, if you would like." Ward took in Jemma's tired eyes. "You should get some rest."

"No, I would like to stay here a while longer."

Ward gave a small nod, backing back up to the door. "Just remember we are here. We care for Fitz too." He gave her a tight smile and left the room.

Jemma stared for a minute at the closed door where Ward had just been. She turned back to Fitz and took his hand in her own, silently begging him to wake up. What was FitzSimmons without Fitz? She didn't know how to go on alone. But they weren't alone, not anymore. They were a _team,_ they were part of more than just FitzSimmons; they were part of a team.

Somehow Jemma wanted to believe that meant that everything would be okay.

Exhaustion finally taking over, Jemma fell asleep, her head lying on the side of Fitz's bed, his hand still in hers.

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**Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. I cannot express to you how much it means to hear your thoughts and opinions. Where do you want to see this go from here?**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, this chapter went a completely different way than I had originally intended for it to go. Hope you enjoy!**

**((I still don't own Agents of SHIELD, AoS characters or any scripted material.))**

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Ward paced outside of Skye's room. He knew what Jemma had said, Skye was healing, they just had to give her time to wake up. But he was tired of waiting.

Ward had always been on his own - that's where he was the best. He had no one to worry about but himself, nothing to fear. He wasn't afraid for himself, he didn't fear death; what he did fear was not being good enough - failing. Since joining Coulson's team he had learned what it meant to be part of something, he had learned the importance of a team.

And he had failed them.

They never should have gone in alone. But it wasn't Skye and Fitz that he blamed. He blamed Quinn. But even more, he blamed Coulson. Coulson had pushed them into the field, pushed them to the point that, even though they weren't ready, they thought that it was up to them to do a job that was meant for the full team.

Coulson knew how Ward felt; he was blaming himself too. He could feel Ward's eyes on them as he sat by Skye's bedside. He had put them in the position that led to them being in danger. Fitz was still fighting for his life because they had thought that they needed to get Quinn on their own. And Skye.

_Skye._

What had he given her? What did he subject her to? The image of the _thing_ in the tube still haunted him, kept him up at night. He had no idea how to react. But he was scared.

Coulson sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, exhausted from the lack of sleep, but, before he could doze off, he heard a sound. "C-Coulson?" a voice barely over a whisper cut through the room.

Coulson's eyes flew open. Skye had woken up. She was looking around the medical pod, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. "Skye!" Coulson exclaimed as he jumped out of the chair. "Simmons!" He yelled for Jemma before standing over Skye's bed, watching as she struggled to wake up.

The sound of her name woke Jemma up from where she had fallen asleep at Fitz's bedside, moments later, Ward dashed into the room. "Skye is awake."

"Coming," Jemma said. With one quick look back at Fitz's pale face, she left the room and ran to Skye's side. "Excuse me," she said curtly to Coulson as she moved in front of him to check Skye's vitals.

"What happened?" Skye's voice was strained as she looked up at the members of her team that were staring down at her. It wasn't until she moved and felt the searing pain in her stomach that it all came flooding back to her. Quinn. The gun. Fitz.

"You gave us quite a scare," Jemma said, looking at the machines that surrounded Skye's bed. Skye wasn't sure if Jemma was just concentrating on what she was doing, but it looked more like she was intentionally avoiding Skye's eyes.

"Quinn?" Skye asked, looking over to Coulson.

"Don't worry," Coulson said, a small, tight smile on his face. "We got Quinn."

"What about Fitz?" Skye asked, her eyes shifting to Jemma. She could see Jemma tense up slightly at the sound of Fitz's name. "Quinn shot him too."

"He's alive… he's…"

Jemma cut Coulson off. "I need to draw some blood. You are going to feel a small pinch." Jemma quickly accessed one of the veins in Skye's arm and pulled out a vial of blood. "Your vitals look stable. You are doing well."

"Thank you," Skye said, trying to catch the scientist's eyes. Jemma looked back, giving Skye a small smile, but quickly excused herself. Skye watched as the scientist left before looking back at Coulson and Ward. "What did I miss?"

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Jemma waited in the lab for the blood that she drew from Skye to finish analyzing. When she got the results, she poured over them, looking for any anomaly she could find. But nothing was there. Just like all of the others, there was not a single thing in Skye's blood that would explain how she was healing so fast. Jemma had no explanation of how the GH-325 had worked. The only proof was that Skye had woken up, her vitals completely different than those of a person who had been so close to death mere hours before.

She needed more information about the GH-325. It could be Fitz's last hope. Jemma had started him on a second round of powerful antibiotics. He was starting to respond to the treatment, but Jemma still feared it would be too late.

Jemma walked out of the lab and back to Skye's room. She stuck her head in the room and got Coulson's attention. "Sir, may I have a moment." Coulson nodded, stepping out of the medical pod and closing the door. He looked at her expectantly as she spoke. "It is about the GH-325."

"Have you found something?" Coulson looked at her hopefully. Until he could speak with Fury, Jemma was the closed thing he had to a way to get answers about the drug.

"No. I've hit a wall because of my limited resources. The drugs chemical properties are foreign to me, which is startling in its own right..."

"We've been over this." The moment she started talking, Coulson tried cutting her off. He knew where the conversation was going; it wasn't the first time they had had it. The moment Skye began to show improvement, Jemma had begun requesting bringing them back to SHIELD.

But Jemma wasn't backing down. Her voice got stronger as she continued. "So I'm requesting, once again, to send a sample of Skye's blood to H.Q. for further study."

"That's not an option."

"Why? I don't need to explain to you the benefits of this drug, you've experienced them first hand."

"No. That's an order," Coulson looked back at her, his eyes frustrated, a sense of finality in his tone. Jemma was a good, loyal member of his team; he knew she would listen.

But she didn't. "That's not a good enough reason. I have a duty to you, sir, as my commanding officer." Jemma looked straight at Coulson as she continued, "But I also have a duty as a SHIELD scientist to pursue this, to save lives!"

"Two men laid down their lives in a compound rigged with explosives to keep this drug hidden." Coulson's voice was firm, surprised that out of any person on his team standing up to him it was Jemma. "We still don't know why. Until we do, until we speak with Fury and get some answers that drug and its mysteries stay in-house."

"And two members of _your _team put _their _lives on the line for you." Jemma shot back. "It worked. The drug worked. Skye is alive. But what about Fitz? What happens to Fitz? This drug could be his chance."

Coulson just looked back at Jemma, unsure how to answer her. They had chosen Skye, twice, while Fitz was still in danger. "I'm sorry, Jemma," his eyes showing that he meant it. "My answer is final."

"Yes, _sir." _Jemma said, walking away.

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Skye laid in the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. It felt like every nerve in her body was on fire, but she was alive. Lying on the floor of the wine cellar, feeling her body begin to fail her, she never thought that she would survive.

But she had – thanks to her team.

Jemma came in, checking on her again, making sure her vitals were still stable. Skye looked up at Jemma. Ward and Coulson had told her what had happened, they had told her about the hyperbaric chamber and the drug. They had told her about the decisions that the team had made.

And they had told her about Fitz.

Skye watched as Jemma moved around her. She didn't have the same cheeriness that Skye was used to seeing.

"Simmons?"

"Yes, Skye," Jemma replied.

"Fitz will pull through." She said, weakly patting Jemma's arm. "I'm sure he will."

"I hope so," Jemma said with a small smile, intently looking at a bag of saline that she was hanging up, still not meeting Skye's eyes.

"Jemma." This time the tone in Skye's voice turned Jemma around to look at her. Skye could see the sadness in her eyes, the look of defeat. Skye continued, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jemma asked, genuine confusion in her eyes.

"For letting him go in. It was stupid. We shouldn't have gone."

"It's not your fault Skye," Jemma's voice was soft as she spoke. "It was Quinn."

"I know," Skye said, begging Jemma to just except her apology for hurting her friend. "But I'm sorry. I'm sorry that they chose me."

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	5. Chapter 5

**Oh the angst...**

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"How are you feeling, rookie?"

Skye looked up to where Ward was leaning against the doorframe. "Like I've been hit by a truck and run back over again."

"You're looking better," Ward said, his eyes glancing over her as she still lay in the hospital bed.

"You're paying attention to how I look?" Skye said with an innocent smile and a slight twinkle in her eye.

"Well, you look better than when you were dying," Ward said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Good to know." Skye said, smiling up at him. Her smile faded as she continued looking at him. "I'm sorry. It was stupid. We shouldn't have gone in. We should have waited for you and the rest of the team."

Ward looked back at her, trying to keep his face neutral. She was right; they shouldn't have gone in. He never wanted to see her in that kind of danger. But all he could say was, "It's over now, you're safe."

"But Fitz. I…" Skye began, feeling her voice falter. She felt like she had to apologize to every member of her team, but most of all to Fitz. She had been the one who wanted to go in. She was the one that had gotten him shot. "Ward," Skye said, her voice suddenly stronger. "You can't say no. Help me out; I need to see Fitz. I need to apologize."

"Simmons is not going to like you getting out of bed."

"I'm doing this. You can either help me or not." Ward must have gotten the point that she was going with or without his help, because he moved and found a wheelchair.

Stepping up to the side of her bed, Ward picked Skye up, her face ending mere inches from his. They looked at each other for a split second before he set her down in the chair. Carefully he rolled her out of the room and into the room where Fitz was.

Fitz looked small and fragile in the bed, surrounded by beeping machines and dripping IVs. Ward pushed Skye close to the bed, where Jemma was sleeping, with her head down by Fitz's side. It was the place she spent every moment that she wasn't in the lab or Skye's room.

Softly, Ward touched Jemma's shoulder to wake her up. "Fitz has a visitor."

Jemma looked up and over at Skye, her eyes growing wide. "No. No, you aren't supposed to be out of bed."

"Simmons, I need to see him." Skye looked back at her, her eyes showing how important it was that she was in this room. "Jemma, please."

Slowly Jemma nodded, moving her chair and backing up away from Fitz's bedside. Ward pushed Skye the rest of the way so that she was right up next to him. Skye looked at his pale face a moment, before turning to look at Jemma. "How is he?"

"His-his vitals are stable, his body is responding to the antibiotics. He just w-won't wake up. I don't know."

"We will give you some time." Ward said, stepping out of the room. Jemma looked back and forth between Skye and Ward, clearly not wanting to leave Fitz, but she finally turned and followed Ward out of the room.

Skye just sat in the room, listening to the steady sound of Fitz's heart rate monitor. Her hand found his and closed around his cold fingers. Suddenly she felt tears rush to her eyes. She couldn't keep them from falling, her body beginning to shake.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let us go in. I'm sorry I couldn't protect us." Skye rocked back and forth. There was nothing more that she could say than, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Coulson silently sat in his office staring at the wall. He had too many things in his mind, too many emotions swirling around him. They had been dealt a hand that he wasn't ready to deal with.

He could still see the look on Jemma's face as he turned her down and ordered her to stop asking about the GH-325 – the stuff that had saved his and Skye's life – the stuff that could save Fitz. He had never wanted to have to make the choice between two members of his team. But he had. And he couldn't take his decisions back.

He wished he could. He wanted it all to go back the way it was before.

He wanted to go back to the time that he didn't know the truth about Tahiti. He wanted to be able to smell the ocean air again, not the pungent smell of his own blood. He wanted to hear the sound of the waves against the beach, not his own screams. He wanted to close his eyes and see the sunset over the sand, not the blue alien in the tube.

But going back was impossible. They could only go forward.

Coulson didn't even hear May come in, her footsteps quiet as she came to stand in front of him. She could see the look of pain and despair on his face as he finally looked up at her. And, while her face didn't show it, she knew that he could tell she felt the same way.

"We shouldn't have to choose."

May's voice was steady as she spoke. "But we did. There are always choices that we have to make, decisions we don't want to deal with. But someone has to make them. Even when they are not easy."

Coulson looked back at her. "But do we have that right? Do we have the power to make that decision? Who lives? Who dies? Do we have the right to play God?"

"No," her voice was calm, her eyes on Coulson's. "We have no more right than Fury and his miracle drug do. But Phil, it worked."

"It worked; but at what cost?" Coulson's eyes were suddenly filled with a fire that May rarely saw. "What cost? Who knows what Fury subjected me to, what we subjected Skye to. And Fitz? Who fights for Fitz?"

"_We_ do. With every resource we have left. We don't give up hope."

* * *

Jemma spent some time in the lab working with Skye's blood, pouring over the notes on the GH-325, before going back to Skye's room to make sure that she was safely tucked back into her bed. She could still see the tear tracks on Skye's face from her visit with Fitz. It helped her to know that the others cared just as much about him, that they were just as worried as she was for him, but it didn't change anything.

Slowly she walked back, stopping at the other end of his room and just watching him. She could remember every moment with him. She could see his excited smile when they finally found the answer to a problem they had been working on. She thought back to the times that she caught him looking at her with a look on his face that made her wonder if they would ever be more than just friends. She remembered the look of pain and fear in his eyes when she thought she would not survive the Chitauri virus.

And now she stood, watching him sleep, but the only emotion building in her was anger.

"Dammit Fitz!" She suddenly cried, lunging towards the bed. She stared at his unmoving face, all of her emotions breaking as she shouted at him. "How could you do this to me! How could you leave me alone! Leopold Fitz, you _cannot_ die on me." Her legs gave out, sending her down to the chair that Ward had put back by his side. Tears were streaming down her face, her breaths coming out as sobs. She couldn't go on alone. She didn't know how.

Her voice broke as she sobbed the side of his arm. "Leo…"

"Wha' the hell, Jemma?"

The weak voice snapped Jemma's head up. Fitz was looking at her, his eyes still unfocused as he tried to figure out his surroundings. His arm moved slowly to her face, his finger brushing one of her tears. "What happened?"

* * *

**Leave a review and let me know what you think! Your thoughts and opinions mean so much to me!**


	6. Chapter 6

"F-Fitz?" Jemma said, looking back at him with tears still in her eyes. "Fitz!"

Jemma jumped up immediately from her chair to stand over him. "Jemma, what's going on?" he asked again, shifting slightly in the hospital bed. He tried to sit up, but as he moved a look of excruciating pain crossed his face and his body fell back to the mattress.

"Don't move," Jemma instructed, beginning to move around him and check his vitals. "You were shot."

Fitz's head slowly bobbed as he began to process the information. The events in the Italian villa were slowly coming back to him, jumbled in his hazy brain. "Skye?"

Jemma managed a small smile. "Skye is doing well, quite well. It's you I have been worried about." Jemma's voice faltered. "We all have."

Jemma turned away from Fitz, but he caught her arm. His grip was loose, but it got her attention. "Jemma," he said, his voice soft. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but didn't know how to put them into words.

Jemma turned back around but her eyes avoided his. "I don't know what I would have done if you…."

Fitz cut her off. "But I didn't."

"I know, but..." Jemma slumped back into the chair, burying her face in his side. "I have never been so scared. I didn't know what to do. If I had lost you..."

"Jem. Jemma." Fitz turned to look at her and grab her hand, wincing as he moved. He knew the fear she felt, it was the same fear he had felt watching her stand in the cargo hold of the Bus, the wind in her hair as she went over the side. He lightly squeezed her hand. "I'm okay. It's over."

Jemma lifted her head and nodded almost imperceptibly. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. She felt foolish. He was the one who had been fighting for his life. She should be the strong one - she should be the one comforting him - not the other way. "I - I should go tell the others that you are awake."

Jemma stood up from the chair. Fitz let her hand slip out of his, even though his eyes were still on her as she crossed the room and left.

* * *

Ward stood outside of Skye's med pod, hiding out of sight, watching her through the small window. He smiled as she let out a sigh of boredom, dropping her hands on the bed in frustration. Ward had never let himself get close to anyone, but that was changing. He was changing.

Skye was changing him.

He had always been alone, telling himself that personal attachments would make him weak. Attachments made it harder to make the tough calls. People like May understood that; they knew that things got messy when feelings were in play.

And things had gotten messy.

Skye was alive, but it was because of a miracle. What if that miracle wasn't there to save her a second time? What if he couldn't save her the next time?

Ward had tried to bury his feelings, he had been trying to bury them for months, going to some extreme measures to do so. But now he knew he couldn't. Skye had hacked her way into his heart and there was nothing Ward could do to change it.

With a deep breath, Ward walked into her room, a rare smile on his face. At the sight of him, Skye smiled back, the type of smile that brightened up her whole face.

"Have you come to break me out?" she asked hopefully, giving him a sideways grin.

"Sadly, no," Ward replied. "You'll have to take that up with Simmons."

Skye sighed again, her smile faltered. She did not like being cooped up in a bed, feeling like her wings had been clipped. She had always been free to roam, not tied down to anything. She knew the precautions that Jemma had been taking were for her own good, but Skye was beginning to go stir crazy.

Plastering back on an optimistic smile, Skye looked back at Ward. The smile was a cover - a front that she had perfected over many years of not letting people see her true feelings. "Want to take a seat?" she asked, gesturing towards the chair that was next to the bed.

"Sure."

Ward looked slightly uncomfortable as he sat down, his eyes lingering over her. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, a million unsaid thoughts and feelings. "Penny for your thoughts."

Suddenly Ward realized he had just been staring, still imagining Skye lying in that bed, close to death. The same feelings of inadequacy began to flood him as he remembered that he wasn't there to protect her. "Oh, uh. Nothing, just thinking."

"Thinking. Wow," Skye said, her eyes searching him. "Sounds dangerous."

Ward just silently chuckled, his eyes flickering to hers and back away.

"I won't do it again."

"What?" Ward asked, his confused eyes coming back to Skye.

"Put myself - and Fitz - in danger like that. I learned my lesson. I'll wait for you next time."

Ward sighed. "I can't always be there to protect you."

"Yes, you can," Skye replied adamantly. "Even if it is just through my training. I want to train harder, stronger. Grant, I want to make sure that I am never vulnerable again."

Ward shook his head, about ready to disagree with her, but the look in her eyes and his name on her lips stopped him in his tracks. She was completely serious - and he knew it. She was going to come back stronger than she ever was before. The thought of that only made him realize even more how perfect she was.

"Okay," he said, a smile tugging at the side of his lips. "As soon as Simmons gives the go ahead we will start working again."

Ward didn't even realize how much he had leaned in towards her and how his hand had moved to cover hers. He didn't realize how close they were, how her eyes were looking back into his expectantly, until Jemma suddenly came into the room.

"Fitz is awake."

Ward jumped backwards, looking at Jemma, but it was Skye who spoke. "Oh, thank God. Can we see him?"

"I don't want you out of bed," Jemma said in her most sincere voice, but she softened, a small smile on her face. "I'm sure we can arrange it."

"Now?"

Skye was sure that Jemma was going to say no, but instead she stepped back. "Yes. But not for long."

Ward lifted Skye back out of the bed and into a wheelchair. Skye knew she could walk without a problem, but she decided it was better to keep Jemma happy. Ward rolled Skye into Fitz's room, pushing her all the way up towards the bed. Ward took a seat in the chair next to her. The only person who stayed back was Jemma.

Standing in the door frame, she watched. She watched as they laughed, as they cried, as Skye apologized over and over again and Fitz comforted her. She watched until she couldn't take it anymore. A single tear sliding down her cheek, Jemma slipped out of the med pod and collapsed against the wall.

Jemma hadn't heard Ward excuse himself, she didn't even know he was there until he spoke. "Simmons?"

Her eyes lifted to his, her hand clumsily wiping the tears off of her cheeks. "W-Ward," she sniffled, standing back up. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"Simmons. It's okay." Ward moved closer to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was strange to see him act caring, but Jemma had come to realize that they were part of a family, no matter how different they all were.

"I know," Jemma replied. "They are both alive. We made it. But I can't stop seeing him lying close to death in that bed. He smiles at me and part of me doesn't want to believe it. Part of me is waiting to hear that it is all just a dream. I never should have dragged us into this mess."

Jemma looked back at Ward, who was just silently watching her. She took a halting breath and continued. "It's easy to sacrifice myself - to jump out of a plane or in front of a grenade - if I think it will save others. But watching Fitz…. Feeling like I was losing him. I don't know if I can do that."

"The hardest part of being a team is not making the hard call yourself," Ward replied. "But letting your teammates make their own."

"Does it ever get easier?"

Ward shook his head. "No."

Jemma's eyes flickered back to the room where Fitz was still laying in the hospital bed. She thought back to all of the hard calls that she had made since joining Coulson's team, all of the times that she had put herself in danger. Had Fitz felt the same way she was feeling now? Ward's voice shook her out of her reverie.

"You care for him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Jemma nodded, her eyes not quite meeting Ward's.

"You care for him more than you should."

"Yes," Jemma replied, admitting it out loud for the first time ever.

Ward thought back to the woman sitting in the wheelchair. He hadn't wanted to let her in, yet she had still managed to work her way in anyways. His eyes followed Jemma's, looking at the med pod where Skye was sitting. "I know how you feel," he said quietly.

* * *

**Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Where do you want to see this story go from here? **


	7. Chapter 7

Jemma Simmons was all smiles over the next few days. She didn't let anyone see the fact that she hadn't been sleeping well, that every time she closed her eyes she could still see Fitz's body lying on the ground, blood seeping into the concrete. She didn't let anyone see how unlocking the secrets of the GH-325 had become her obsession.

Ward and Jemma hadn't spoken about their conversation in the hallway. Neither of them was ready to admit that they had let their emotions compromise their work; that they had developed feelings for the people they were supposed to call their teammates. Neither of them was brave enough to completely cross over that line.

After two weeks stuck in a hospital bed, Jemma finally let Skye out of the med pod. She had been healing at an impressive rate. If you didn't know that she had been shot multiple times in the abdomen, you wouldn't even know that she had been injured. But that didn't stop Jemma from being furious with Ward and Skye when she found them sparing in the cargo hold.

"I did not let you out of the med pod just for you to turn around and put yourself back in," Jemma exclaimed, breaking in on their little practice session. "You should not be straining yourself."

"Simmons, I'm fine. See, punch me in the stomach." Skye lightly tapped her stomach with the boxing gloves. She could feel some tenderness still from her multiple surgeries, but didn't want to give a Jemma the satisfaction of being right. "Good as new."

"I most certainly think not," Jemma said, adopting what Skye used to call her stern librarian tone, but now it was what she associated with anything concerning her health. Skye knew that Jemma just had her best interest in mind, but she was tired of constantly fielding questions. She felt like every time she moved she had someone looking over her shoulder, waiting for her to break.

"Simmons, I really am fine," she gave Jemma a smile before turning to look at Ward. "Besides, I have Ward here. He won't let me do anything that will get me hurt."

Ward looked back at Skye, really wishing he wouldn't have been dragged in on all of this. He could already feel Jemma's eyes on him. "We will be careful," he said tentatively looking between Skye and Jemma.

"I trust you will, because we did not just go through everything we went through in order for you to just throw it away." Jemma shot both of them a look before heading back out the door.

Ward's eyes followed her the whole way, waiting until she had completely disappeared. "Maybe Simmons is right, that is enough for today."

"Not you too," Skye said, her voice a whine. "You're not going to break me."

Ward looked back at her, his eyes filled with an emotion she couldn't pin point. HE watched her for a split second before turning away. His voice was soft and Skye almost missed him choking out the words, "I already did."

* * *

Jemma walked back in to Fitz's medpod, her hands filled with some items that Fitz had requested. She deposited the equipment on the bed at Fitz's feet. "Here are the pulse emitters you wanted."

"Thank you," he said, not even looking up as he grabbed for the nearest one and began tinkering with it. His bed was littered with pieces and parts of various projects that he had been working on before he was shot.

"How can you even work in here with this much clutter?" Jemma asked, bewildered.

"Well, if you would just let me out…"

"Don't you start," Jemma snapped, cutting him off.

Fitz looked up startled. "Jem…"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, collapsing into a chair by his bed. "I just… It's too early. You have barely begun to heal."

Fitz just shook his head, not wanting to argue. He wasn't Skye – he hadn't been given a super drug that allowed him to bounce back. He was having to take everything one day at a time, letting his body heal naturally. He had just gotten to the point that he could move without feeling like his insides were being ripped to shreds.

But Fitz knew – as much as Jemma wanted to keep him in this bed forever – he was going to have to get out sooner than later. Deathlok had attacked Garrett. The Clairvoyant was still on the move, so Coulson had sent for some of SHIELD's top brass to meet them on the plane. They were hot on the trail for the Clairvoyant, and for Fitz the hunt had become even more personal.

"Has Agent Hand come on the plane yet?" Fitz asked. He had been stuck in the bed so long that he relied on the others to keep him apprised as to what was going on.

"Yes, they are meeting now. It sounds like Garrett has narrowed down some possibilities on who the Clairvoyant might be."

"Good. We can get rid of him once and for all."

Jemma looked at Fitz. This wasn't the first time she had heard him talk like that, like he was happy to watch their enemies die. The behavior had shocked her. How could he wish death upon anyone, even the Clairvoyant? That's why they had the night-night gun. But, if given the choice, would the Clairvoyant, or the men who worked with him, be as merciful?

She knew the answer; that was why Fitz was lying in this bed.

Changing the subject, Jemma looked at all of Fitz's toys. "What are you working on?"

"I think I have finished the target rounds. I need to show Coulson and May," Fitz said, holding up a gun that was lying next to his pillow. "What about you? Has Coulson let you do anything more on the GH-325."

"I'm still exactly where I was. As long as Coulson makes us keep this 'in-house,' I am not going to get any where with it." Her voice was frustrated as she spoke. How could Coulson not see how important this was? It had already saved both his life and Skye's. It could be used to help so many people. "I have condensed all of the blood sample results into an encrypted file…"

Jemma was suddenly cut off when she felt Fitz's hand grab her wrist. She felt an explosion of tingles go up her arm, but they went away as soon as he spoke. "Jemma, we have a visitor."

Jemma turned around to see May standing in the doorway. "Oh, May. Hello." May was watching the two scientists closely, making them both nervous.

"I assume you are talking about Skye's blood," May said, her eyes piercing into them.

They looked back and forth between one another, not sure what they were supposed to say. Jemma was breaking strict orders by trying to bring in others to help with her search to unlock the secrets behind the GH-325. In sync, they looked back at May, both beginning to talk.

"There's just so much we don't know. The GH-325…"

"The GH-325, we don't know what drug it is, where it came from…"

"Not too mention any side effects, short or long term…"

"We're just worried about Skye and Agent Coulson, of course."

May just stood listening, her eyes locked on the two scientists. "Have either of them exhibited any side effects or strange behavior?" She kept her voice pleasant – as pleasant as possible, trying to get as much information as she could.

" – Strange is such a subjective term –"

"– No more than usual –"

"Cause if they have, or if they do in the future, feel free to contact me first. I can help. Okay?" May gave them one of her rare smiles, hoping they saw it as a measure of good faith and teamwork, not a cover for her deception. "Also, Simmons, Hand wanted to talk to you about Mike Peterson and the Deathlok project. They want you to stay at the Hub and give a briefing."

"Thank you," Jemma replied. May left the room, leaving Jemma and Fitz just staring at each other, trying to figure out the conversation they had just had.

* * *

The room was dark as the two men huddled in the silent supply room, far away from the meddling eyes of the rest of the Bus. They couldn't be seen; they couldn't be heard. No one knew where they were or what they were up to.

"That wasn't part of the plan." Ward's voice was different, harder, his eyes with a new kind of focus.

"It is now," Garrett's replied.

"First Skye and Fitz, now this?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No." Ward's voice was hollow as he spoke. "No problem at all."

* * *

**Please review! **

**I've had fun weaving this through out the episodes since T.R.A.C.K.S., so I figured I would continue through. We all know that Agent Ward has lots of choices that he has to make... The question is what choice will he make...**


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